In the entire history of chess, only sixteen players have achieved the title of world champion. Nine of them represented Russia and the Soviet Union. This film tells why, for a hundred years now, interest in chess battles has not subsided in Russia, about the great Russian grandmasters and their most memorable games. And also about how this popular popularity and the presence of a chess school of the highest level influenced and continues to influence the intellectual development and cultural values of Russians. Chess experts and amateurs reflect on the glory of the champions and on the path of the game itself in the modern world.